Horse races are competitive events where horses race either with jockeys on them, or drawn by drivers pulling sulkies, for speed. As spectator sports, people who attend horse races may wager on which horses will win by betting either one horse at a time or entire groups at once; betting pools known as sweepstakes offer prizes to those who can correctly predict which will become the victor in any given race.
Horse races may be run by professionals, but anyone can enjoy watching horses compete and win! Millions attend these annual events around the globe and make for an entertaining day at the races by visiting merch stands for food and beverages or simply watching horses race by. A day at the races is an enjoyable activity to share with family.
Triple Crown horse races are among the most renowned events in horse racing, comprising of Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Each event serves to showcase some of the greatest horses while providing fans with an exciting racing experience – making up one of the greatest achievements in horse racing!
American horse racing was formalized for the first time when British settlers set up a track on Long Island as part of the colony of New York. Although horse racing had already been popular locally for some time prior to this development, British settlers brought order and regulations into the sport, including standardized courses as well as eligibility rules relating to horses and riders based on factors such as age, sex, birthplace, training level etc.
Early days of horse racing were known as “match races”, which involved simple bets between two or three owners and record keeping kept by disinterested parties known as keepers of the match books. John Cheny began compiling match books from various racing centers into An Historical List of All Horse-Matches Run which would later become The Racing Calendar which is still published today.
Many countries have national horse racing organizations which establish rules governing their races. Although rules may differ slightly between races, most follow the original rulebook from British Horseracing Authority and establish weight scales based on age, distance, sex etc. In case of dead heat finishes stewards will study photographs taken of the finish to identify a winner.